nationfandomcom-20200223-history
Emerald Railway
The Emerald Railway, officially Emerald State Line, is a state-owned one-track railway leading from Hurbanova to East Hills and further in the Oceana Emerald Heights. The railway used to be private, but after a renovation in 2014, it is state-owned. The part into the Emerald Heights is still disused and privately owned. It has been reconnected with the rest of the railway after the renovation, however. In 2014, the railway was being reconstructed for public transport, as well as transportation of goods from and to the mines; this in an effort to reduce pollution and eventually transportation costs. The first part of the line, from Hurbanova to Shkola Hurbanovni, is also used for the Oceana State Line. History The Emerald Railway was built from 1886 to 1889 by the mine owner Donald Read and William Vanderbilt in order to transport the coals more quickly from the mine in the Emerald Heights to the harbor in Hurbanova. Later on it was also used to take personnel to the mines. In 1921, the Vanderbilt family, at the time led by William Vanderbilt II, sold their shares of the railroad. The Lovian state tried several times to buy the railway, but Read never accepted the offers. When Read died in 1948 and left no offspring who could inherit the railway, the Lovian state had lost interest, as the productivity of most mines had already decreased by 50%. The railroad bridge over the Hurbanova Stream was broken down in 1967. The tracks south of the Hurbanova Stream and the connection to the Hurbanova Railway Station were demolished in 2008 to make room for the Millstreet project. In 2010, the forest growth over the tracks in the Emeralds were partially cleared, so the railway is visible again. Over a short distance near Hurbanova it had a double track, which was constructed in the 1950's. During the renovation, this part of the railway was relaid and the original tracks were either removed or abandoned. File:EastHillsRailwayHalt.jpg|The former East Hills Railway Halt, demolished in 2014. File:ClearedEmeraldRailway.jpg|A part of the railway near Overbanken that has been removed. Stops * Hurbanova Railway Station * Shkola Hurbanovni Railway Station * East Hills Railway Station Redevelopment On May 26, 2013, the Lovian Congress voted in favor of a motion by Oceana Governor Oos Wes Ilava to invest in the Emerald Railway. A budget of $100,000,000 was made available. The project will consist of several phases: * Phase one: clearing of the tracks and purchase of land (finished: August 2013) * Phase two: ** Part one: repairing damaged parts of the tracks and laying new tracks (start: September 2013, finished: June 2014) ** Part two: constructing a new bridge across the Hurbanova Stream and several smaller bridges, including renovations (start: August 2013, finished: June 2014) ** Part three: building new stations: Hurbanova Shkola Hurbanovni, East Hills, and possibly Dubnitz (start: May 2014, finished: September 2014) * Phase three: opening of the line (scheduled for September 2014, final opening was postponed until March 2015) Several parts of the old tracks near Overbanken were relaid, as the old connection directly to the Hurbanova Railway Station has been moved to the newly created railway halt at Shkola Hurbanovni. The old tracks have been mostly removed. Also, the Peace Island Railway from Hurbanova to Artista has been bought up by the State of Oceana, the part in Sylvanian territory is to be maintained by both states involved. The elongation of the railway to Clave Rock has not yet been approved, nor are there any concrete plans. Category:Railway Category:Hurbanova Category:East Hills Category:Transportation in Oceana Category:Railway operated by the Oceana State